Brainstorming: The Incredible 3D Printing Gumball Gallery

My latest project idea is The Incredible 3D Printing Gumball Gallery. The idea has been burning away in my head for the past week and I’m publishing it now to ask for help from my friends and readers in awesomizing it.

The Pitch: The Incredible 3D Printing Gumball Gallery is a portable art gallery that brings 3D printed models from some of the top 3D designers and artists in the world to art shows, conventions, maker faires and classrooms. Each gallery patron receives a random 3D printed artwork and a fun fact sheet with information about the artist/designer, the model and a key 3D printing design principle.

Mockup of Series #1 for the Gumball Gallery: Seriously not trying to put these folks on the spot just drafting an idea for the first series.

How It Works: A kind and generous group of 3D artists and designers create an original 3D design or select one of their existing models that can be scaled to fit in a 2″ vending capsule. I buy a toy vending machine and 2″ vending capsules then 3D print the models and stock the capsules. I then take The Incredible 3D Printing Gumball Gallery on a whirlwind tour of school art shows, mini-maker faires, 3D printing workshops, conventions and classrooms. The appreciation of 3D printing and design grows. Due to the nature of 3D printing and open source design, the gallery can be replicated and shared around the world.

Why: I want to spread the idea of the beauty and value of 3D printing and design. I hope to bring the The Incredible 3D Printing Gumball Gallery to classrooms and have students see examples of great 3D designs and then have students create and stock the Gumball Gallery with their own models. The 2″ vending capsules provide scale and make a natural constraint to the student design. Because the physical models/artwork will be shared, students will have an incentive to produce their very best work.

How You Can Help: Help make the project awesomer. Contribute a design, suggestion, name or random idea in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @DesignMakeTeach or via email.

Influences: Thanks to Carla Diana for the gumball version of her characters from LEO the Maker Prince which got me to thinking about design constraints. Thanks to Printed Solid for the idea at World Maker Faire NY of using a toy vending machine to distribute 3D prints.

Mark, thank for the reply. I’m slowly putting together Series #1. Machine has been ordered and should arrive next week. If you have a model in mind send it my way. DesignMakeTeach on Twitter, Instagram, and Gmail.
-Josh